During spring and fall our sun angles are really pronounced. It certainly makes for some striking photo opportunities. Fall, with its bold colors, can give you some incredible photos. Timing is really important to find that perfect time of day where you have sunlight streaming just right to your photo subjects. The first photo was taken at 9:40 AM. Great light, tree on the right side of the driveway glowing.
This second photo was taken 4:01 PM. We live on an almost straight North/South axis. We face South and East is to the left as you go up the driveway, West on the right. In this photo the woods to the right glow and there is no light on the driveway. I tried to be in the same spot to take both photos.
Timing really shows the changes of the angle of the sun and gives you such a different photo. If you have the luxury of watching your subject matter for a number of hours, you will know what time of day you want to get your perfect shot.
I conducted an experiment in my front yard. The tree to the left in the photo below is a Coral Bark maple, Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku'. In the foreground is a Loropetalum 'Purple Pixie' with dark foliage, African Blue Basil on the left foreground and a white leafed lavendar, Lavandula stoechas 'Anouk White'. On the far side of the lawn are two Cypress, left is Cupressus arizonica var. glabra 'Blue Ice' and right is Cupressus arizonica var. glabra 'Carolina Sapphire'. The forest is beyond, filled with various hardwoods and a few pine. Each photo is time stamped to show how the sun passes over my front gardens.
I left the multiple photos smaller so you might see more than one on the screen as you scroll down. So if you were to choose what time to best get a photo of the front yard, what time would that be? What plants do you want to pop in your photo? Which driveway photo do you like better, morning or evening?
Angles are everything this time of year.
